Learn About Geary County Heritage in These Intriguing and Amusing Articles From our Museum Staff

Wednesday, November 13, 2013

Toy Craze...

Every Christmas we see the same pattern: some toy, whether an
undefinable creature named “The Furby,” or a gaming console like the Wii,
becomes a national craze. People beat each other over the head just to be the
parent that brings home that coveted toy for their child on Christmas
morning.These toys change from year to
year. In 1964, G.I. Joe was the hottest toy around; in 1977, the Star Wars action
figures received the attention, and in 1983, Cabbage Patch Kids became so
popular that people would going so far as to bite each other in the isles just
to own one. But before Joe, Vader or Tickle-Me Elmo, there was Shirley Temple.

The first doll to become a “Christmas Craze”
was first developed in 1934, in response to the Shirley Temple fan base. The
first celebrity-driven doll was manufactured by The Ideal Toy and Novelty
Company when Temple was 6 years old, in the third year of her movie career. The demand for both the “true” Ideal Shirley
Temple doll, and the more generic versions, with her trademark ringlets and
dimples, hit its peak when Bright Eyes
hit theatres three days before Christmas in 1934.

Ideal Shirley
Temple dolls were so popular that they sold for nearly $4.50 in their premiere
year, nearly $3 more than the generic Shirley Temple look-a-like dolls that
department stores sold for $1.80. The craze to have anything Shirley, but
particularly a name brand Shirley doll, was overwhelming and Ideal Toy Company
made over $45 million in the first seven years of production. This was an unheard
of figure for the time. Other stores latched onto the hype and offered Shirley
Temple look-alike contests, set up Shirley Temple displays in the lobbies, sold
songbooks, coloring books, paper dolls, and anything else someone might want to
buy that was linked to “The Little Curly Top.” Mothers even began to style
their daughter’s hair and clothing after Shirley, so hair ribbons and clothes
became produced with official “Shirley pins” on them.

In Geary
County, girls and their mothers became a part of the Shirley Temple toy craze. In
December of 1935, Shirley Temple was still a best seller. While there was no rush
on stores, as there had been in 1934, she was still a sought after toy for many
young girls. And Junction City was not immune to her tiny dimpled charm. In the
December 23, 1935 edition of the Junction
City Union, a section called “From Santa’s Mail Box” was published, and in
Santa’s mail box were the letters children wrote to Santa asking for their most
important Christmas wishes. Among those
wishes? Shirley Temple.

In
their letter to Santa, Betty and Beatrice Childers of Fort Riley said, “We are two
little girls 6 and 4 years old and we have been real good. We each want a
Shirley Temple doll.” Ida Mae Schooler had a similar Christmas wish.Perhaps she already had a coveted Shirley
Temple doll because she didn’t ask for one. Instead, she desired the Shirley
Temple accessories that had been introduced to the Christmas market in 1935.
She said, “Dear Santa Claus- Please bring me a baby doll, teddy bear, bicycle,
toy horse, Shirley Temple dress, Shirley Temple ribbon…”Even grown women were not immune to Shirley’s
charm. In 1937, following the release of Shirley Temple’s version of Heidi, Catherine Unfried bought her very
own Shirley doll. Not for children, as she only had one son, but for herself
because the 32 year old housewife was caught up in the national phenomenon that
was Shirley Temple.

Make
sure you stop by the Geary County Historical Society to check out the Playtime
Exhibit, featuring the 1937 Shirley Temple “Heidi” doll, among other popular
toys from the past century! Open Tues-Sun, 1-4PM.

For more information about the Shirley Temple doll craze:

Cross, Gary. Kid’s Stuff: Toys and the Changing World of
American Childhood. Cambridge, Presidents

Geary County Museums

The Museum is open Tuesday-Sunday 1-4 and is closed for holidays.There are three floors of exhibits, both permanent and rotating. We have a wonderful gift shop where you can buy trinkets for yourself or others. The Museum building is available for rent, email for more information. We have three Satellite sites available upon request.